Checkmate
by Kla1987
Summary: Oneshot/songfic - Mellie's way of ending her marriage to Fitz on her own terms after he asks for a divorce (season two) - intro piece to my story "Welcome to the Fallout" - please feel free to read and review! Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal, or the song "Silver Springs" - each is the property of their respective creators.


**Author's Note: Hey guys! This is a little one-shot that I got the inspiration for while listening to the song "Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac. It is a song-fic from Mellie's POV that will serve as an introductory piece/pre-cursor to my next story, "Welcome to the Fallout". This is A/U, and for the purposes of this story, Defiance never happened (or at least it didn't involve Olivia).**

**Just a warning – I rated this one T, but you should know the subject matter is a bit macabre. Having read a lot of T and M rated fiction, I think the rating is appropriate, but some of you may feel as though it walks the line a bit. **

**Please read and review. I hope you enjoy my take on Mellie, but either way I'm sure you'll let me know! **

Checkmate

_You could be my silver spring, blue green colors flashing  
I would be your only dream  
Your shining autumn ocean crashing… _

Mellie swayed lazily to the music, listening to the sultry voice of Stevie Nicks as she downed another glass of wine. She was on her third bottle for the night and it, coupled with the extreme doses of antidepressants was enough to have her mind floating in the clouds. This was the night that she had been waiting on for months now, meticulously planning every last detail. Now that it was here, though, she wanted to go slow and enjoy each moment.

Tonight was the night that her marriage would end, officially, on her terms. Some would argue that her marriage was over years ago, that it ended the day that Olivia Pope walked into her life. Her husband certainly thought so. However, Mellie knew better. She was a strong woman, just like Olivia Pope. Actually, tonight, she would prove that she was stronger. Olivia would never have the guts to take it to the wall the way that Mellie would this evening. Olivia fancied herself a fixer, and though Mellie had to admit that she was indeed masterful in her manipulation of situations, she was sure that what she had put into play even the great Olivia Pope would not be able to fix.

For a few moments, though, Mellie allowed herself to think back on what things had been like in the beginning. When she met Fitz he was just a guy with a great smile and an idealistic heart. He had no political ambitions, he had simply "wanted to help people". He and Mellie had bonded over shared ideals, and she was able to mold him into the man that he was today. Without her guidance and support, he never would have been President material – and he never would have met Olivia Pope.

_Don't say that she's pretty  
And did you say that she loved you?  
Baby, I don't want to know…  
And can you tell me, was it worth it?  
Really I don't want to know_

Olivia pope had been the bane of Mellie's existence since the day she met her. She could tell immediately that Fitz was attracted to the woman, but had hoped that it would simply be a fling. Even when the relationship went on longer than expected, Mellie dealt with it. She knew that it was no use telling Fitz that he needed to let the woman go – she would just have to wait it out.

_So I begin not to love you  
Turn around, see me running  
I'll say I loved you years ago  
And tell myself you never loved me_

Her relationship with Fitz had settled into what amounted to a comfortable disdain for each other since entering the White House. Mellie thought for sure that the scandal surrounding the Amanda Tanner situation and the conception of "America's Baby" would have at least solidified their relationship enough that they were on speaking terms again. Instead, though, throughout the entire debacle, Fitz's first and only concern had been for Olivia. Mellie had been able to seek out the comfort of someone else as well, but it still did not make the complete and total rejection from her husband hurt any less. She had had a baby for him, for Christ's sake! She risked ruining her beautiful body and put her own health in danger (she was in her late forties, you know) all so that that bastard could keep his place in the White House, when he wasn't even smart enough to keep his dick in his pants! And yet, still, all he had for her was contempt. Even now, when she had risked prison by forging his name on the letter of reinstatement and saved his damn presidency ONCE AGAIN, he had the gall to ask her for a divorce.

HELL NO – she would do anything and everything to ensure that it would not happen like that. She didn't love him anymore, but she sure as hell wasn't about to let him shame and disgrace her by leaving her jilted and alone, while he rode off into the happily ever after with his mistress. On the contrary, she had done enough to ensure that they would never get to have a life together, or to be happy. What she had in store for them would end them both, and the beauty of it was that, by the time they figured out what'd happened, she would be so far away from them that she would never have to feel the fallout.

_Time cast a spell on you, but you won't forget me  
I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me_

Mellie put down her pen, reading over the letter that she'd written her husband one last time before going to her store of medications and picking out the strongest of them. The videos that she'd mailed out would be arriving at all of the news outlets first thing in the morning. By the time her husband woke up, his presidency and his life would be ruined. He would come for her, seething with rage, and when he found her he would know that she had already won.

Finally she picked out the bottle that she was looking for, and shook out all 45 of the little pink pills inside. She lined them up on her desk, and picked them up, gingerly dropping them into her mouth a few at a time, chasing them down with her chardonnay. After she had taken every last pill, she took one more look at herself in the mirror, admiring her work, before going over to her bed. She looked over at the note again, and drifted off into oblivion imagining what his face would look like when he found her tomorrow.

_My dearest husband,_

_I guess you know by now that our marriage is no more. You wanted this to end so badly that you were willing to shame both of us by going ahead with this silly divorce. I told you that I would not be divorcing you, but as usual, I have made your wishes come true nonetheless._

_I do hope that you and Olivia are happy together – at least, I hope that she will still be able to stomach the sight of you after she realizes the negative implications of our marriage's dreadful end to her own pristine image. That white hat won't look so white anymore, and I doubt she will find very many people who are willing to let her "fix" their lives when she can't even keep hers from falling apart on the world's stage. This is one of those that even she can't get a rein on – trust, I've made sure of that._

_Please take care to tell the children that I love them. They will need the support of someone when they find out what you've done, and I simply cannot be there anymore to pick up their pieces. Also, please tell Cyrus that I'm sorry I lied to him. The labor induction was not my big finale – this is. _

_Enjoy your time in the spotlight, and tell Olivia I say goodbye._

_Mellie_

By the time Fitz discovered what she had done, she would be beyond reviving. There would be no coming back from this, but she no longer had any need to stay around. Still, even as she lay dying, Mellie was delighted to know that at least a part of Fitzgerald Grant would die tomorrow with her. She let herself go humming the last lyrics of the song she'd chosen, and died with a smile on her face.

_I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you  
You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you…_

Check and mate.


End file.
